Day: December 6, 2006
Sliding into home
In September 2004, Buncombe County was declared a federal disaster area in the wake of tropical storms Frances and Ivan. Twelve landslides were reported, and two structures — a home in Starnes Cove and a county fire station — were destroyed by landslides. Fourteen other Western North Carolina counties were also designated disaster areas. At … Read more
Letters to the editor
Quite a slide Your “Slippery Slopes” articles [Nov. 22 Xpress] covering the concerns with the overdevelopment of our beautiful mountains hit on my growing heartbreak as I witness these rapid changes here in Western North Carolina. I have lived in this area for over 23 years now, and I feel such a deep-heart connection to … Read more
Outdoor Journal
Stand and deliver: So far this season, two North Carolina hunters have died in tree-stand related accidents. Last year, three died similarly. The grim fact is that all of the deaths could have been avoided with proper precaution, say representatives from the N.C. Wildlife Commission. Chris Huebner, a hunting-safety coordinator with the commission, entreats all … Read more
Into the wilds in style
photo by Jonathan Welch The Subaru Outback is to outdoor devotees what the Crown Vic is to the police department, the pimped-out Honda Civic to Patton Aveune cruisers, or, say, the minivan to the Biltmore Park crowd. The Japanese station wagon just might be the ultimate outdoor vehicle for the 21st century. It gets reasonably … Read more
The Green Scene
The secret life of a camouflaged salamander courtesy N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission The green salamander, one of Western North Carolina’s endemic amphibians, spends daylight hours tucked away in dark crevices of rocky outcrops. It sometimes inhabits the cavities of decaying trees, concealed among lichens and mossy branches by its unusual smattering of black, yellow and … Read more
Top drawer
Braving Black Friday Though the “black” in black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving that has evolved into one of the year’s busiest shopping days — sounds ominous, it actually refers to the point when retailers move from the red into the black, accounts-wise. And that’s a good thing. Here, local and visiting shoppers take … Read more
Small Bites
Edible ornaments aren’t just for occupational-therapy patients or bird-loving revelers anymore. The Food Network is readying to award $10,000 to the winner of its televised Edible Ornament Challenge at the Grove Park Inn today (Wednesday, Dec. 6). You better believe these competitors aren’t just thinking popcorn garlands and pinecones smeared with peanut butter. The public … Read more
C.F. Chan’s
Flavor: A voyage through Asia, with a long layover in ChinaAmbiance: This was Beanstreets? While nobody would walk into C.F. Chan’s thinking they’d just gotten off a slow boat to China, the downtown spot – in the space formerly occupied by Beanstreets – does manage to serve up a solid menu of Far East fare. … Read more
Culture watch
NC Stage Takes No Prisoners The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded a grant to the Asheville-based North Carolina Stage Company to help finance their school-oriented touring show A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The grant, which is funded through the Shakespeare in American Communities program, will take effect in 2007. And, if that wasn’t enough, … Read more
